Some of the best adventures start with the worst ideas
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 12:16 pm
So here is my idea, I promise this isn't as bad of an idea as Black Gap on loaded GS's
Ok so here is the general gist, motorcycle camping to me is a function of extending range, riding to Wichita and back in a day, doable, but it's a long ass beat of a day especially if you stop anywhere to smell a flower, it makes for an ass beating of a day.
Now, if I were to camp I can take my time up, relax while there, take my time back I don't get as beat up and its far more relaxed at a reasonable cost.
So if we break a trip into a two day out and back run, range gets extended a lot and the following things come into range:
whichita mountains
Caprock Canyons
Palo Duro
Ouchita National Forest (LARGE AREA)
Colorado bend
Big Bend is in range but there is a lot of nothing between here and there, it wouldn't be a good out and back trip.
And these are not ass beating ranges either If you extend out and back into ass beating range a lot more stuff becomes doable, I've done Albuquerque to DFW in a single stretch on a bike before, don't recommend it but it's a doable.
So now the kicker, temperatures, it's hard to sleep when it's 90 out and a dust storm is on so I'm looking at the map and I notice something, Arkansas has elevation, I've camped there before and I've ridden the area - if you have not ridden the area on a motorcycle you are missing out big time, some areas the scenery is amazing and the roads are better than TX track pavement.
So here is the idea, get up Saturday morning and run a route to Arkansas, run in from Talimena from the west side over deeper into the forest, pop camp at like bard springs (not first choice just one I found that would work) I'd need to dig around but the higher the elevation the better so we can get good night time temps. Get up the next morning and run a different route back.
Should be able to pull into the house on Sunday at a descent hour not feeling like you got steam rolled by an elephant
Ok so here is the general gist, motorcycle camping to me is a function of extending range, riding to Wichita and back in a day, doable, but it's a long ass beat of a day especially if you stop anywhere to smell a flower, it makes for an ass beating of a day.
Now, if I were to camp I can take my time up, relax while there, take my time back I don't get as beat up and its far more relaxed at a reasonable cost.
So if we break a trip into a two day out and back run, range gets extended a lot and the following things come into range:
whichita mountains
Caprock Canyons
Palo Duro
Ouchita National Forest (LARGE AREA)
Colorado bend
Big Bend is in range but there is a lot of nothing between here and there, it wouldn't be a good out and back trip.
And these are not ass beating ranges either If you extend out and back into ass beating range a lot more stuff becomes doable, I've done Albuquerque to DFW in a single stretch on a bike before, don't recommend it but it's a doable.
So now the kicker, temperatures, it's hard to sleep when it's 90 out and a dust storm is on so I'm looking at the map and I notice something, Arkansas has elevation, I've camped there before and I've ridden the area - if you have not ridden the area on a motorcycle you are missing out big time, some areas the scenery is amazing and the roads are better than TX track pavement.
So here is the idea, get up Saturday morning and run a route to Arkansas, run in from Talimena from the west side over deeper into the forest, pop camp at like bard springs (not first choice just one I found that would work) I'd need to dig around but the higher the elevation the better so we can get good night time temps. Get up the next morning and run a different route back.
Should be able to pull into the house on Sunday at a descent hour not feeling like you got steam rolled by an elephant